The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Gaza’s Sole Art Gallery Perseveres Gallery Iltiqa, Gaza’s only art gallery, is adding value to the Strip’s cultural scene, despite significant challenges, Linah Alsaafin writes. Palestine
Palestine Economy in Crisis, World Bank Reports According to a recent World Bank report, restrictions put in place by Israel are having a devastating effect on the Palestinian economy, reports Lena Odgaard. Palestine
Obama's Visit to Israel Offers Rare Opportunity for Palestine During the US president’s visit to Israel, writes Clovis Maksoud, it's crucial that discussions with the Palestinian Authority include representatives from Gaza, and that Israel be identified as an occupying power. Palestine
Aramaic Language Project in Israel Furthers Recognition of Maronites Shady Khalloul Risha talks to Jacky Hugi about his quest to revive the Aramaic language and recounts the struggle of the Maronites in Israel to be recognized as an ethnic minority. Israel
Why the Turkish Opposition Likes Assad Mustafa Akyol explains why the People’s Republican Party (CHP) is at ease with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is unlikely to become a "social democratic party" in the European tradition. Syria
Israel's Likud Breaks from the Past With the ouster of Reuven Rivlin, the last of the Likud's “blue bloods,” the party has changed from Jabotinskian ideology and its Mizrahi electorate in favor of the settlers, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Israel-Syria Border Becomes Flashpoint Syria's inability to control its border with Israel has introduced uncertainty and increased chances for the regionalization of Syria's civil war, writes Geoffrey Aronson. Israel
Maliki's Opponents Mull Next Move Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is facing threats to his rule from both Kurdish and Sunni quarters, which seek to undermine confidence in his ability to govern, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Speculation Over Iran's Role In Iraqi Dinar Devaluation Iran has been accused of meddling in Iraqi financial affairs after the Iraqi dinar lost value against the dollar at the beginning of March, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Egypt's NGOs Face New Strictures Under Ruling Party Egypt's NGOs are facing more restrictions than ever, reports Daria Solovieva from Cairo. Egypt
Obama's Visit Just to Sightsee, Says Abu Zaida In an interview with Shlomi Eldar, senior Fatah member Dr. Sufian Abu Zaida reveals that he isn’t placing much hope in the US president’s visit — or in the new Israeli government, for that matter. Palestine
Israeli Court Rejects Gaza War Crime Case An Israeli court has rejected a lawsuit filed by a Gazan who lost family members and his home to an Israeli airstrike in 2009, Mohammed Suliman reports. Palestine
